Upcoming Minimum Wage Increases in British Columbia

Following an announcement by Premier John Horgan this morning British Columbia’s minimum wage will be increasing at a pace more rapid than many originally expected. The NDP campaigned on a promise to bring a $15 minimum wage to British Columbia by 2021, and created a “Fair Wages Commission” which was tasked with putting forward a plan concerning the timing and implementation of wage increases.

Premier Horgan announced today that the government will be adopting the recommendations made by the Fair Wages Commission, and will be increasing the minimum wage as follows:

June 1, 2018: $12.65 an hour

June 1, 2019: $13.85 an hour;

June 1, 2020: $14.60 an hour;

June 1, 2021: $15.20 an hour;

The next scheduled increase in June 2018 amounts to a $1.30 increase from the current minimum wage of $11.35, which was itself increased only a few months ago in September 2017 from the rate of $10.85 an hour.

The full report of the Fair Wages Commission, including its recommendations can be found here.

If you have questions regarding the impact of these changes, or steps you can take to reduce their impact, please do not hesitate to contact a Mathews Dinsdale lawyer in our British Columbia office.